I am the Other
by Emerald-Words
Summary: She had been in love.She forgave him the first time but what about the second? should she subject herself to that sort of pain?Why did he want her to hurt?
1. Chapter 1

"No! Don't!" The girl stood by helplessly watching what was to her the end. "Why are you doing this?"

The boy ceased his actions. He stared at the mirror that that held their as it were, their very soul. "It doesn't matter. You can't change this."

"No you're wrong!" she screamed. Her heart pounded furiously against her frame. It beat a broken rhythm, shaking her, enveloping here in its pulsing madness.

She watched him through the mirror even as he watched her, his face etched in stone. His eyes – they sang a different song. She could remember hours spent getting lost in those unfathomable – what's the word – worlds. Yes that's it. Worlds. Those intense azure orbs held for her a whole different reality. She was wanted. Needed. Adored. Desired. Craved. Loved.

But now the words of the song have changed. The melodies, warped. His eyes hold nothing was contempt. Reason dictated closing all avenues of her soul to this decimating force but her heart demanded and searched for an inkling of the former, a microscopic amount of what those calming lagoons used to offer her.

It was against the very nature of her being to allow what this boy wanted to do to her. But she wondered was there anyway to stop him? Was there any hope for her at the end of the day should he have his way?

"Please…" she tried.

"Enough. I don't want to hear anymore." His voice eerily calm, unaffected by the obvious tension that threatened to swallow her, that bespoke her budding hysteria.

"But why?" Her tears stung her own blue eyes yet refused to make the telling journey across her cheeks, the same cheeks that he once adored. "Why are you doing this?" Pain was etched across her every word yet his eyes held no sympathy. "I don't understand." She whispered. If it wasn't for the awesome silence that prevailed, no one would have heard the words that escaped on a short breath.

"You are pathetic." He said finally turning to face her. The same image that was captured by the reflective surface now looked at her. Three words were uttered. Three words cut her to her core. His earlier tasks being done he procured his suitcase and proceeded to exit the room.

"No. You can't." Reality sifted through her nerves that he was indeed going. "Why are you doing this to me? Please tell me."

"Isn't it obvious?" He smirked. "I don't love you. I have never loved you. And I never will."

_Don't leave me in all this pain_

He watched her figure as it barred his exit. He determined she would not deter him. Came to stand before her and he could see the chaos in her, the unbelief and realization. This was the second time he was doing this to her but now, it was for good. He raised his free hand and forcibly removed her before making his exit.

She followed him out. She waited silently in the elevator with him as it shuttled them to the main floor. She wanted to scream and beg as was her personality but a crushing blow had been dealt. Her voice lost in the battle.

_Don't leave me out in the rain_

He knew she followed but what did it matter to him. She was no longer his concern. Her quietude had unnerved him since he knew of her volatile nature. He wondered when she would finally be her true self – the whiny girl that he had somehow been saddled with. What madness had inhibited his brain that he got together with her in the first place? And what power had possessed him to return to her?

She watched silently as he stowed his bag. Memories of their first break-up flooded her and she wanted, like the last time, to cling to him and beg him to remain with her. He didn't even look back as he got into the car and sped away. Cliché seemed to defy her desire for happiness for as soon as he disappeared from her sight, her now flowing tears mingled with the traitorous children of the clouds. They mocked her misery yet at the same time sympathized.

Clumps of gold stuck to her head and face, trailing down the length of her body. The tears of the sky caressed a path through her tresses much like the touch of a lover. So very much like his. She knew she had died just then as the last piece of him disappeared from sight.

_Come back and bring back my smile_

_Come and these tears away_

Her head found root on her chest as she slowly, carved her path to her home. Home. She had hardly been there. Her liaison with him and occupied her time; day and night. She was of age now. She could sleep anywhere she liked. With whomever she pleased. At this thought she laughed. As sad choking sound that erupted from her body. She was for all purposes and intents pure. Untouched. Undefiled. Virginal. She had been too shy to move past those passionate kisses that pleaded for more. He seemed more that willing to wait. He seemed happy to just hold her to him. In this, she was a willing participant. She wondered now if her reluctance for such intimacy resulted in this cruel separation.

_I need your arms to hold me now_

_The nights are so unkind_

_Bring back those nights when I held you beside me_

No questions were asked as to her sudden and strange appearance. Her mother gave her an understanding look although she was so absorbed by the movements of her feet that she didn't notice. Her usually annoying little brother gave her a wide berth, sighing and retiring to his room. Her father could have cared less about her look. He had long renounced his claim to be her father since the relationship began and more so when she refused to obey him. She could care less.

Her bed held little comfort from the hurt.

He eyes were just giving into the cold arms of sleep when a familiar and unwanted sound filtered to her weary mind. _Why now?_ Her guardian looked at her expectantly so she went through the motions. She wondered if death would welcome her this night.

_Unbreak my heart_

_Say you love me again_

_Undo this hurt you caused when you walked out the door_

_And walked out of my life_

She battle continued. Her friends kept a wary eye on her as she effortlessly plowed through the puppets of the Dark Kingdom, making her way to the puppeteer. The last string had been cut and the mastermind of the little scene came into play.

"I will destroy you all and claim your energy for the Dark Kingdom." It cackled. The senshi looked to her for the speech – silly but necessary to the effect. She was not in the mood for ritualistic behavior. She scowled realizing she would survive and thought to remain immobile and allow the Dark Kingdom scum to sap her waning energy.

"Sailor Moon?" Venus said worriedly. She had been worried as to the melancholic demeanor of their usually clumsy leader. The others wondered what catapulted her into such precision and grace yet echoing such sadness with every move.

_Un-cry these tears_

_I cried so many nights_

_Unbreak my heart_

He arrived in time to see her standing before the youma. She seemed in control yet overly sad. She radiated despair. The youma attacked refusing to be deterred by the uncharacteristic behaviour of the well known Moon scout and attacked. Surprise was evident when the girl made no move to defend herself or evade. He sprung into action, removing her from the deadly force under a chorus of her name from the other senshi. He watched her eyes as the others fought the monster. Her eyes held so much pain and he wished to sooth it.

"Sailor Moon." She was unresponsive but held his gaze.

She looked up into his face and wondered why she gave up her masked knight for the scoundrel who ran away with her heart. Why? She could see the concern etched in this familiar stranger's face and wondered why she could not hold to her infatuation to him. True, she was attracted to him, even with her heart in the hands of another. She could not understand why her mysterious hero was so much like him. Why did he pull at her soul with the same ferocity as _him_?

_My heart_

"Put me down…Tuxedo Kamen." She whispered. Shock was evident on his face. She knew the reason. Usually she basked in his attention but now she seemed as if she could not stand to be near him. What had changed?

"Sai-" he began even as he lowered her. Once her feet touched the ground his words were cut off by her speedy escape from him to the front of the battle. He watched her ignore the cries of her senshi and dash to the youma. She halted a mere breath away from the shocked creature before encasing its neck in her tiny hands.

"Scum." She said. She viewed the vile creature before her who was unable to fulfill its promise of death. Her powers that usually flowed through her tiara or staff now flowed freely from her hand like electricity. It flowed into her struggling captive, slowly, painfully killed it. There was a gasp and then a stunned silence behind her but she paid it no heed. He work was done and she wished to go home. She bypassed the circle of friends and instead headed for home.

He watched her. What had happened to her? Usually he would have made his exit but her strange behavior ripped at him. The other senshi looked at him puzzled as well and all collectively shrugged while staring after the retreating figure. In the beginning he had been annoyed at the compulsion to rescue the blonde beauty but in time it became subtle affair or flirtatious smiles and words. Now it was love. Pure, unrepentant love. And to see her so obviously torn up, he felt himself being shredded. He took his leave as did the rest of the senshi each contemplating the Sailor senshi of the Moon.

_Take back that sad word goodbye_

_Bring back the joy to my life_

**OOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOooooo**

He watched from his usual spot at the counter sipping his coffee. He didn't what he had been expecting when the blonde goddess entered the arcade. He realized he expected and missed their "fights." It had been three months since that awful breakup. In the beginning, just like the first time, he had though he knew what he was doing. He had felt he had done the right thing. But now, as he watched her pour over book in solitude – though her friends were present – he doubted his reasoning for the breakup. He realized, he had thought, she would have been past this now. It confused him ever more, because he thought he should have been past it too.

She studiously finished her assignments for the day. Her friends had stopped questioning reclining themselves to support and comfort her when she suddenly broke into silent tears. They surmised it had something to do with her recently broken relationship with man at the counter. The man who had held her heart since their first meeting. Mamoru.

"What did you do to her man?" Motoki said softly. His gazed was fixed on the usually exuberant teen.

"We broke up. It happens." Mamoru shrugged.

"Are you blind to what has happened to her? At least the first time you guys broke up, she tried to act like her old self. Now she's not Usagi anymore. She's quiet, studious... unresponsive." He practically hissed. "Studious is not so bad but a quiet and unresponsive Usagi is just too weird. And scary. She doesn't even fight with Rei anymore." Motoki exclaimed in a whisper.

"How is this my concern?" Mamoru asked coldly. He almost choked on the obvious lie. It bothered him that he had managed to _break_ her spirit. More so, it bothered him how the love of his life seemed to have the same symptoms of his former girlfriend. He replayed a conversation with the Moon hero from the night before.

**FLASHBACK**

"_What has happened to you Sailor Moon?" he asked as a gloved hand caressed her cheek._

"_That is irrelevant to this context." She said in a quiet monotone._

"_Yes it is." He persisted. "I have no complains that you effectively kill the youma or that you have improved in battle but I worry when I see you no bothering to evade dangerous attacks." She stared at him a smirk tugging at her lips. "You are you so sad?" he finished._

"_I grieve for my friend. She is sad and if she is sad I cannot help but be as I am."_

_His eyes twitched at the response. "You practically suicidal because some friend of your is depressed?"_

"_You could never understand what we share." She said. "She is apart of me as I am of her and as such I reflect that which she feels." He was confused but he allowed her to leave._

**END FLASHBACK**

_Could Usagi be that friend?_ He seemed to remember her bragging that she and Sailor Moon were very good friends. He assumed she had been lying. But now in light of recent events e wondered if it was true. He pulled himself from his seat and made his way to her.

_Don't leave me here with these tears come and kiss this pain away_

"We need to talk." He said. She raised her head slowly to acknowledge the voice. Her heart clenched inside her as he gazed up at his handsome figure. She wondered why she could still love him when he said he could not return the feeling.

"Speak." She said lowering eyes back to the pages of the text book.

"Alone." He said. He waited while she gave silent approval to her friends.

_I can't forget the day you left_

_Time is so unkind_

_And life is so cruel without you here beside me_

"How are you?" he asked as he took his seat.

"Fine." She replied not looking at him.

"And how is school going?" She sighed.

"I get the feeling you didn't come over here to make small talk with me. It was never your style. So why don't you get to the point so we can end this conversation."

He hadn't meant to say the next word but it was instinctual somehow. "I'm worried about you."

"Well don't be. I'm no longer your concern." She went back to her book. She was annoyed with his presence. Over the months after their breakup she had come to startling discovery. This man that faced her, this man that held her heart still, this man that she loved was none other that the great Tuxedo Kamen. It had been like ice water in her veins when she realized that her possible chance of moving on from Mamoru turned out to be _Mamoru_. How did she find out? It had been that kiss.

**FLAHSBACK**

"_Sailor Moon!" she had been actually trying to avoid an attack but the after shock knocked her unconscious. She faze din and out realizing that she was not on the cold ground but sheltered in strong arms. Once she came to, she stared up at him a smile almost pulling at her lips._

"_I'm so glad you're okay." He said and before she could respond, he kissed her. Her traitorous lips had responded to his gently inquiry encouraging him to deepen the kiss. All the while, her mind tried to figure out why she craved this so much. She wondered why she felt like she had come home. It was in that second that her yes flew open and stared at the man who had her lips in a slow dance with his. __**Mamoru?**__ Her mind screamed as she slowly pulled away and searched his face. Her eyes traveled the lines of a face she knew so well and both the world fell away._

**END FLASHBACK**

So now, as she eyes him, she suspected his sudden interest in her had to do with her alter egos personality change.

"I might not lo-"

"Save it baka, I don't want to talk to you anymore. You've said your piece. Now leave."

"No." She closed her book with a sigh of exasperation and unbelievable pain before looking at him.

"What else do you want from me you baka?" She seethed in a whisper. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Us-"

"Don't say my name, teme. You broke my heart, my spirit, what else do you want to break?" She was not ashamed to admit he had hurt her and that it still hurt her.

"Please-"

"Will you just stop?" She said still in a whisper. "You made yourself clear a few months ago. You don't love me. Never have. Never will. Now just leave me alone and let me learn to live without you." She said.

"You think that this has been easy for me?"

_Unbreak my heart_

_Say you love me again_

_Undo this hurt you caused when you walked out the door_

_And walked out of my life_

"Why should I think it isn't? You never loved and so you cannot know what it is to lose it and have it stare you in the face every single day."

"That doesn't mean that I don't care about you as a person. I would want you to go n like this."

"Then you should have loved me." She said simply. She leaned forward now. "Besides…" he leaned forward too. "It didn't take you long to lip lock with some other girl now has it?"

"How did you-" he said rearing back.

"You didn't think _she_ would tell me? Now I know why you left me, why you were even with me to begin with." He was intrigued. HE had wondered why he was attracted to Usagi and it seemed she had the answer to his query.

"And what do you think is the reason?"

Usagi laughed at this now. "Same hairstyle, same quirky attitude; I could pass for her twin." She hated talking about herself but she had to show him what an idiot he really was.

"That's ridiculous." But even as he said it he knew he was lying. Usagi did remind him of Sailor Moon. Strangely so. As she smirked knowingly at him he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever. Just go back to your life. And stay away from Sailor Moon. She doesn't appreciate the gesture. Save her if you want to but keep your lips to yourself."

"But-"

"What? You love her? Please. You are incapable of love." She spat.

He sat across from her and one question kept running through his mind: _What kind of idiot was he to have left Usagi? Not once, but twice? He loved this girl sitting across from him but he was too wrapped up in his infatuation with Sailor Moon to realize._ Her once bright eyes now held a dull pain behind them.

"Will you keep my identity a secret?" he asked quietly.

"I have no reason to endanger your life for petty reasons." She replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home now since you are intent on plaguing me." He exited the booth and he rested his face in his hands.

_How am I supposed to love two women to so much yet none more than the other?_

_Un-cry these tears_

_I cried so many nights_

_Unbreak my _

He jerked suddenly. That familiar pull coursed through him. Sailor Moon was in danger. He paid for his coffee and fled the arcade.

_Un-break my heart, oh baby  
_

The scene he came upon was horrific. The four inner senshi – Mars, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter – were bloody and unconscious as a unrelenting youma battled with an equally unrelenting Sailor Moon.

_Come back and say you love me  
_

She was bleeding heavily but she fought still, attacking the youma viciously. Soon, the poor youma was curled into a ball as Sailor Moon continued a desperate attack. If the youma could bleed, he was sure it would be bleeding to death now. This was one more change he saw in Sailor Moon: she had become very precise and ferocious in her fighting. Where she would have dusted the youma she now used them for punching bags.

_Un-break my heart  
Sweet darlin'_

"Stop!" He said holding her from the unconscious youma. She forced him back before finally using her tiara to obliterate the poor creature. It seemed almost relived.

_  
Without you I just can't go on  
Can't go on..._

She whirled on him and he took her face in his hands. "Stop." He said softly. "Its over." She looked at him with vacant eyes. Comrades roused and began to move towards her. She never noticed as he looked up at him. What came next surprised all of them.

He cupped his cheek where her harsh hand had just left. He was in so much shock, he did not see the other hand as it aimed for and connected with his other cheek.

"Sailor Moon!" the girls cried.

"How dare you?" she spat at him. "How dare you use me like that?"

"I don't know what you mean." He ground out.

"You mean you didn't notice? You spent so many months wishing to kiss me that you did not even know you were doing it."

"Sailor Moon-" Mars warned.

"Shut up Mars." She shrieked. Her friends reared back. "I give up. I don't want to do it anymore." She raised her hands about her head. "I renounce my leadership. I don't want to be Sailor Moon anymore. Either way, I'm never enough for anybody." She looked at Mamoru now who had a confused look on his face. "And you can go to hell." She said vehemently. She detransformed much to everybody's shock. She plucked off the broach and took out the communicator and handed it over to Mars. She walked off leaving a dazed group.

"U-Usagi?" he said.

She walked quickly and pretty soon it turned into a run. Her tears came hard. She had always known it was another woman that made Mamoru leave her. She had wanted to know who but soon gave up her investigation. Who would have thought ne? Who would have thought she was the other woman. She managed to steal her own boyfriend from herself. Plain old Usagi wasn't good enough for anybody. Well fine. If they don't want Usagi, they can do without Sailor Moon too.

Shock. That was what he felt initially. Regret followed soon after. He had lusted after another woman while completely in love with his girlfriend. He lusted after woman he had not known. Until now. What had he done? He looked at the Sailor Senshi now as they looked at him bewildered.

"What happened?" Venus asked. "I know you know. What happened to our Usagi? What did you do to her?" She had him collared now.

"Venus!" Mercury yelled. Mars and Jupiter cracked their knuckles getting ready for fight. He didn't know what to do. He deserved whatever they dished out. He was stupid. He was foolish. He had broken her and for what? His hand reached up slowly and procured his mask before removing it. There was collective gasp.

Venus released him and shook her head. By her eyes, he knew she had figured out what had exactly happened and as the goddess of love, she knew exactly what was happening now. "Teme." She said to him before turning away.

"Matte!" he called out.

"Leave it alone Tux-boy." Mars said over her shoulder. "You've done enough. We've lost our leader. How will we defeat the Dark Kingdom now? How will we find the princess? How will we do anything without Usagi?"

Left alone he replaced his mask and took refuge in a tree. They were right. He had done enough. He would stay away now. He would leave her alone to live whatever life she wanted. He'd lost her. They were both now miserable. How was he to just go now and proclaim the love he had recognized before she revealed herself to him? Any such words now would probably get him killed. He burned inside. He had lost her forever.

_Unbreak my heart_

**A/N: Well that's it. I'm wondering if I should make a sequel or just leave it as it. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

I AM THE OTHER: Chapter 2

He had come to the arcade. His usual cup of coffee was forgotten each and every time because of his sudden obsession to catch even a glimpse of that blonde hair. She never came back and with good reason. She had cast aside her old life in favour of a life void of her former friends and haunts. He found out from Naru-chan that she had even switched class.

He had thought to catch her on her morning dash but obviously she knew he would try that tactic. He tried going out early to try and catch her but he never even saw a trace of her. He tried watching the school gate after school but after a girl gave him a weird eye he figured he should give up what had became an obvious stalking.

It seems that word had gotten to the Dark Kingdom about Usagi's retirement and youma attacks inflated to critical points. A few times he'd caught her on the sidelines, probably making sure her friends were fine and that he got dusted. He snorted now as he thought about it. From his position at the counter, he saw Motoki watching him.

"What?" he said sourly.

"I don't know why your behaving like this. You're the one who broke up with her. Again."

He observed his best friend. "I know. You just don't how bad I messed up this time." He replied realizing that Motoki was telling him to do what he did last time to fix it.

"Then why don't you tell me just how bad."

He looked at Motoki as he wondered yet again if he should clue his friend in on his secret life. He thought better if it this time because in revealing himself he'd be revealing the other senshi who shouldn't have to pay for his idiotic behaviour and decisions. "I'm afraid I can't really go into details."

"Did you cheat on her?" Motoki asked. "I swear Mamoru if that is what you did I'll beat the hell out of you right now." He said evenly.

"I never acted on my impulses until we broke up." He said.

"So you're saying you franternized with another woman while dating Usagi."

"I didn't _fraternize _with her. It was necessary to have contact with her. I met her before Usagi."

"SO why'd you start dating Usagi if you had it for this girl before?" Mamoru sighed. He needed to get this out. Besides, he had avoided Motoki enough.

"It was after I had that last talk with Usagi that I realized what I had been doing. Everything about Usagi reminded of this girl. I had wondered once if I was crazy and imagining the similarities. This girl was unattainable and my stupid subcounscious mind selected Usagi as the next best thing."

"Geez, Mamoru that's-"

"I know. What I failed to realized that they knew each other. When I kissed this girl, word got back to Usagi and that's how I got here."

"Do I know this girl?" Motoki asked. Mamoru seriously wanted to tell him and then he decided he would.

"You probably won't believe but-" he paused.

"What?" he had always known Mamoru wanted to tell him something important for a while now but he never pressed.

"Promise to keep this to yourself on pain of death."

"Sure."

"I am…Tuxedo Kamen." Motoki's eyebrows seemed to disappear into his hairline.

"Mamoru, I thought we were having a serious conversation."

Instead of wasting words repeating his claim he continued calmly, mindful of his volume. "I became attached to Sailor Moon after saving her on many occassions. It didn't help that the same happened to her." He sighed. "I realized that I could never be with her because the Sailor Senshi do not completely trust me-Tuxedo Kamen. So, I decided I would date the one other person who seemed to be able to get under my skin. I wasn't disappointed with my choice and though on many occassions I wished it was Sailor Moon I was actually with – I found Usagi effectively securing her place in my life. I got scared because it seemed to me Sailor Moon noticed I was no longer single and I panicked and that's why I broke up with her the firs time. I kicked myself for leaving Usagi. So I repaired the damage. Soon, I realized I couldn't stay with Usagi knowing how I felt about Sailor Moon. So I detached myself emotionally and conviced myself I never really loved Usagi. It was after this I found out that Usagi and Sailor Moon were really good friends. When I kissed Sailor Moon, she told Usagi."

"How did she know that you were Tuxedo Kamen?" Motoki asked.

"She's a pretty smart chick. She was furious that I would make a move on her so soon after ending things with Usagi. She even slapped me. Twice."

"So where is Sailor Moon now?" he said after a pause. "Nobody has seen her since-"

"Since you last saw Usagi?"

"Yeah."

"She renounced her leadership and Senshi status. She handed her senshi stuff over to Sailor Mars and left."

"She revealed herself to you?" Motoki asked surpirsed.

"Yes." Mamoru lauhged a dry laugh. "This is where I become the idiot and the teme." He said.

"How?"

He laughed again and then choked as a tear ran from his eyes. "I had realized-no accepted- just after kissing Sailor Moon that I was deeply in love with Usagi."

Motoki had been expecting the name of the popular heroine. "Mamoru-"

Another tear feel from Mamoru's eyes. "I love her as much as I love Sailor Moon."

"But you can't love two women at the same time. Equally."

"That's what I couldn't get. I couldn't get how I felt equally at home with two women. So imagine my surprise when I saw that the woman who I thought I could never have I had all along."

"What are you-no!" he exclaimed in a whisper. "You mean-"

"I broke up with my girlfriend, the girl who means everything to me to be with my girlfriend."

"How is it you could never tell they were the same person?" When his friend looked at him quizzically he added. "I know that I only know now because you told me but you were intimate with her. You held her, looked into her eyes, kissed her and never knew."

"I think I knew on some level. I was determined to keep them separate in my mind. I had always felt I knew her more than I thought I did but I refused to admit it. I should have been estatic that they were the same person."

"So what are you gonna do now?"

"Kick myself for my stupidity for the rest of my life."

"Aren't you even gonna try to move on?"

"No. My life is devoid of the one light in all this darkness. I had always been lonely ever since I woke up in that hospital without a clue as to who I was except that my name was Mamoru. No offense to you, Motoki, you're my best friend."

"None taken."

"She-Usagi-Sailor Moon, filled me completely. And now because she thinks I love her alter-ego more, I can never be wth her. In addition to that, I might have doomed earth. According to the other senshi, Sailor Moon is their only hope in finding the one person capable of saving everybody."

"Who's that?"

"The moon princess. She is supposedly capable of destroying those who command the youma."

"Moon princess? Did it ever occur to you idiots that the moon princess is actaully Sailor Moon?" Motoki asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why would you think that?"

"Hello? You guys really are stupid. I guess it takes a fan to point out the obvious. There are five senshi and out of the five, only one is unique in that she's not named after a planet. Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Mercury. She's the only one who seems to derive her strange abilties from the moon. The senshi instinctively protect her while she goes in for the kill. Her abilities far exceed the others."

"But-"

"Do you people even know what this princess looks like?"

"I have seen her in my dreams a few times." He said realizing he was an even bigger idiot than he thought. "She looks exactly like her."

"You need to go find her. How did you usually find her?"

"I ususally just knew she needed me." He said plainly.

"If I know Usagi like I know I do, she needs you. She needs you to let her know that not only do you love her as Sailor moon but as Usagi. She has been working to show everybody that she isn't a total spaz, that she can excel at school and as Sailor Moon. She needs to know that you don't love her as two entities but as the beautiful person that she is. Now go find her and give her a hug for me, Tell her I miss her."

She stood watching the water as it flowed under the bridge. She had successfully cut herself off from her connections to her former life. She moved out of the house, leaving Luna who from what she'd seen of the cat was as depressed as her. She didn't talk to the other scouts anymore. She'd heard, via eavsdropping that she was at Minako's house, unresponsive. Artemis was distressed. Other than that, they seem unaffected by her absence.

Her had went to touch her hair that felt really queer because it no longer sported her customary _hairstyle_. It was in a high ponytail, wrapped a few times so it would not drag on the ground. Her hair was really long. Her hand jerked back as if burned because she kept feeling _his _fingers in her hair. Even after distancing herself from everything, she still felt him in every fibre of her being. But she knew she could never be with someone who loved her because of who she was on those occasion when youma attacked. How she wished he could love her. How she wished-

"But I do." A voice said behind her. She stiffened in a knee jerk reaction then forced herself to relax.

"How did you find me?"

"You should really be careful of reaching out to me when you're trying to hide from me." She muttered something about stupid mental connections and stupid people who couldn't ignore it.

"Why are you here?" she hadn't removed her gaze from the flowing water. She wished she could float away with the current now.

"Motoki said to tell you he misses you and something else but I'll hold off on that part for a while." She didn't respond. "I guess it doesn't help that I'm sorry right?" Still no answer. "I came here with the intention of begging you to take me back but then I decided I don't deserve that so I came to beg on behalf of your friends to come back to them. They miss you so much. The Minako and the others are putting up a brave front but I can tell they feel it. Luna is practically a vegetable. She hasn't eaten anything since you left. Two weeks Usagi. If she was a regular cat, I think she'd be gone by now."

"Why are you telling me all this? The only person who would truly miss me is Motoki and that's because he never got to know me as Sailor Moon. The others and you want her not me. The only reason I met Luna was because I am Sailor Moon. The only reason I met Minako is because I am Sailor Moon. Rei speaks to me only because I was her leader. Ami hangs out with me because she was obligated to make sure I didn't embarrass them and flunk out of school. Lita doesn't have any friend besides us, the Sesnshi. She doesn't need me. She has the others. You-well you made yourself perfectly clear."

A sigh escaped her lips.

"Usagi is not enough for you people. You people didn't realize Usagi existed outside of the famed senshi until I decided to leave. Now all of a sudden I'm invaluable?" she snorted.

Mamoru listend intently to her soft words. "Is that how you really felt? Feel?" he said just as softly. He decided to move now and enclose her small frame against his, trapping her against the railing of the bridge. She stiffened noticeably. She didn't move to remove him from her person but she didn't relax either.

"Those girls love you. Sure you may have known them as Sailor Moon first but they loved you as Usagi. They stll do. Luna could have left to stay with one of the others but she chose to stay with Usagi to make sure Usagi improved in all aspects of her life. They love and need you to hold them together because I know pretty soon they're gonna fall apart without you. Sailor Moon doesn't define you. You define her."

One of the hands that trapped her moved to remove the binding of her hair then it fingered easily through the golden tresses. Her lips couldn't supress a sigh but almost immediately she stiffened her body more.

"Aren't you gonna try and convince me about how much you love me?" she said.

"Why should I? Its obvious I've been stupid but I never really acted like I didn't love you. Besides, I didn't come here on my behalf. I came to take you back to your friends and family." By now his fingers had her head falling back to meet the glorious pressure.

"I can't." she said on a breath.

"I'll leave if that makes it easier. I'll leave Juuban so that you can be with them." As he said it his hand returned to the railing.

"They need you more than they need me."

"No. They need Usagi and in turn Sailor Moon. Now more than ever. They don't know this yet; Motoki figured out what none of us could. He found the Moon Princess." She turned to face him immediately.

"Where is she? Who is she?" she asked almost frantically.

"I'm sure you know." He looked at her knowingly. "If you think about it."

"Mamoru-"

"Odango, come on. You're smart." He teased. She searched his face as he looked at her pointedly.

"No."

"Yes. I know for a fact now. I always dreamed about you. Stupid me never wondered how the three women who affected me so much had the same hairstyle, same beautiful blue eyes."

"Don't-" she said in a desperate plea.

"Don't worry Odango, I'm not here to convince you of my intentions. My part in this drama is over. I had a chance at least to have you for a while. I'll cherish that to my grave. But you need to come home Usagi. Once you do, you'll never have to worry about me again. I'll perform my greatest vanishing act just so they can have you with them. So what do you say?"

"I'll come with you." She said softly still looking at him.

They walked off the bridge, Usagi's hair in her hand. He drove her to the arcade then walked her in. As soon as the girls saw her, she no longer had the right to breathe. They smothered her. Mamoru smiled and walked to the counter.

"A coffee to go." He said to Motoki once again watching the eyebrows disappear.

"Why do I get the feeling I shouldn't fill that order?"

"You always knew how to read me ne?"

"Don't do it man. She doesn't want you to go."

"It's the only way I could get her to come back. I don't deserve her."

"You're so stupid." Motoki chuckled. "What' s a princess without her prince?"

"And since when are you an expert on us?"

"I've known you since forever Mamoru. I've known Usagi just as long. You two belong together."

"Mo-"

"Hey, do what you want but I'm only saying. She's miserable without you. Look at her." They both turned to view the blonde. "She's happy with them, yes, but she's gonna miss you if she knows you left. She's gonna miss looking over here and not seeing you with your cup of coffee. She's gonna miss not running into you once she gets back to going to school late. Any second now she's gonna look away from the girls and glance at you with those expressive eyes that will tell you thanks and a plead with you to stay."

Sure enough her eyes slid over to him and his breath stopped. She smiled slightly then looked away.

"You know, I'm afraid to ask how you know that. I'm afraid to ask how you seem to know so much about us."

"I'm observant but it also helps that I wasn't your best friend in just this life." Mamoru's eyes swiveld to Motoki who was whistling softly now.

"What?"

"Don't worry about that now. Right now, Princess Serenity is waiting for Prince Endymion to pull his head out of a certain hole and let her know that his love is not bound by time or changes in identity-Endymion and Serenity, Usagi and Mamoru, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen-its not coincidence you've loved her no matter who you think you are and the same goes for her."

Mamoru sighed.

"Don't keep her waiting to long. I've always had a crush on her you know." He chuckled. Mamoru looked at him pointedly and glared. "History repeats what it wishes. " He turned and continued to work leaving Mamoru to his thoughts.

Three weeks after her return, things returned to normal – well as normal as Juuban can get. They still had to fight off the Dark Kingdom and collect the Rainbow Crystals. Usagi decided it was best not to enlighten the other scouts on the identity of the moon princess until they knew who they were fighting and why. She also made it a point to avoid Mamoru. It was obvious to anyone with a brain and two eyes that she was hopelessly in love with him, but there was still too much between that would result her being hurt once again. She had hoped that he would have come to her and sort things out but as the days turned into weeks, she decided, that in this lifetime, there would be no Serenity and Endymion, no Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, no Mamoru and Usagi.

He had promised her he would leave Juuban but actually packing up and leaving for good was harder than it seemed. He could not even bring himself to put a sock in a suitcase without experiencing immeasurable, tangible pain. The worry that Usagi might perceive some of this pain via their mental connection further convinced him to just stay out of sight. And out of mind. He found a new coffee place, though the coffee was so horrible he only went there for the sake of going. He didn't need to worry about saving her during those escalating youma attacks since she had improved to the point of not needing him. He, Tuxedo Kamen was an unnecessary role in this drama. He sat now facing Motoki because he knew Usagi would be at school.

"I see you haven't worked things out with Usagi." He said as he cleaned glass.

"What's the point? Its over."

"Did she say that she wanted it to be over?"

He was silent.

"That girl never wanted to break up with you. She probably knew what your wedding would look like. She turned me down flat when I asked her out."

"She did huh?"

"She did wouldn't even want to do it to make you jealous. Which was my whole plan."

"You're crazy you know that?"

"She loves you. She doesn't even wanna try to make you jealous."

"I don't deserve her. For all my smarts, I am pretty dumb. I still don't know how I could not see I was right where I wanted to be? How could I not see? I am hopeless. If I don't know my own girlfriend when I see here, why should I be with her?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for the past few weeks." A voice behind him said.

"Damn." He muttered. _I thought I had enough time to talk to Motoki and get out of here before she showed up._

"I know you've been avoiding me Mamoru no baka. I've been avoiding you too." After sitting with his back facing her for a minute he chanced a glance. His breath hitched, natural reaction to her, and then he turned back to face Motoki. He sighed when he realized Motoki had deserted him.

"Usagi-chan?"

"What no _odango atama?_" she smiled slightly.

"I-"

"Nervous and tongue-tied is me Mamoru. Not you."

"Can't help it. I _am _talking to _you_."

"You make me sound like a celebrity."

"You are to me." She finally took a seat beside him.

"What happened to us?" she asked quietly.

"The walking disaster called me." He chuckled. "Why are you event talking to me?"

"Because I need to know…"

"Nani?"

"I need to know if you think we still have a chance. I don't want to just let this go because you were the baka I always knew you were."

"I don't deserve a chance with you Usako- I mean Usagi-chan."

She smiled at his slip. "Isn't it my decision if you deserve a chance to be with me? I wanna try Mamoru but if you don't want to then I guess this is it." She stood to leave, pausing to give him time to say something if he needed to. "Sayonara, Mamoru…no baka."

"Matte-onegai…"

"Mamoru?"

"I-I want to but-"

"I'm afraid too but you have to ask the question-what's a princess without her prince?"

"Motoki asked me that same question."

"He's a smart guy. I have to say, I had decided not to bother with trying. I didn't want you to hurt me again. I decided that for this lifetime, you and I would never be together."

"Why the change of heart?" he sighed.

"I saw you sitting her and well, I decided to give it a shot. I would hate myself if I didn't."

Silence.

"So…what's gonna be? Are we gonna split here or…"

He gazed into her blue eyes, searching for anything in his favour. He looked at her and wondered to himself- _what's it gonna be?_

_So what's it gonna be?_


	3. Chapter 3

**I am the Other: Chapter 3**

_I must be the worst kind of idiot._ Chiba Mamoru thought as he looked at the ceiling of his room. Any fool would've taken the opportunity without question and lived happily ever after. But here he was, in his apartment – alone. Here he was after refusing the offer of a blonde bombshell, with endless pools of blue for eyes and legs you could get lost traversing. He was a sad excuse for a red-blooded male.

He still didn't know what possessed him to say no. He still couldn't fathom his sanity in the whole matter. Here was the girl he wanted – no – needed more than anything in this entire universe and he turned her down. Was there any real reason for his strange decision? He really couldn't say. He breathed deeply to keep his tears at bay. These weren't tears of pain but frustration. Frustration at his stupidity. Over and over, the scene replayed in his mind.

FLASHBACK

"_So what's in gonna be?" She asked._

"_I-" he looked at her. Her expressive blue eyes pierced him, cut at him, and almost begged him to be with her. _

_This was what he had been waiting on but now here it was and he was hesitating. He had no hope on his own to reclaim her heart, he knew, and here she was offering it to him and he was hesitating._

"_I-"_

"_There's no pressure, Mamoru. Well…except the obvious. I wish I could say this offer will be open for a while but that wouldn't be fair to either of us. This is a one time deal."_

_**Baka! Why are you hesitating? SAY YES!**__ He shouted to himself._

"_Usako-" he swallowed. "I really want to be with you." He said and even he could here the 'but' coming. He heard her sigh and waited for the rest of his answer. "But, I can't." He watched as her eyes moistened but no tears fell. He watched the rise and fall of her chest as she tried to compose herself. His heart thundered in protest at his obviously idiotic answer. His mind demanded he retract it and fall before her pleading until his throat died for her forgiveness. Yet, he made no move to hold her, though his arms seemed to burn with the desire._

"_I think you two should use the back room." Motoki said and lead them to said room._

_Away from prying eyes, Usagi almost fell to the emotional pressure. She held strong thought, refusing to allow him to see her tears._

"_I'd ask you why but I really don't see the point. I guess this is really it. I guess this is goodbye."_

"_It doesn't have to be."_

"_No, this is definitely goodbye. There is no point in being friends after this, Mamoru." He voice shook on the syllables of his name and it threatened to shake his strange resolve._

"_But-" he sighed. _

"_You know I'm right. We are now singular. Mamoru. Usagi."_

"_Usako-"_

"_Please don't." Her hands fell from her bag where they had become white under the pressure. They hung now lifeless at her sides. "You know what hurts the most?" she said softly. "You've spoilt me for all others. And I didn't do the same for you. A selfish thing to think but you can go on after this and love again. I am hopelessly tied to you forever."_

_He couldn't stand it anymore. He had doomed himself to misery and the girl he wanted was two feet away from him. If this was to be his last time in her presence, he would make the best of it. He closed the distance in one step drawing a gasp from her as he leaned down and claimed her trembling lips._

_He held her to him as he ravaged her mouth and indeed like a man claiming his last drops of water in a desert. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, tentative at first, but then they dug in and clung for dear life. He molded her small from to his much larger one and trembled at the familiarity and how perfectly she was made for him. He cupped the back of her head, angling her so that he could deepen the kiss. The tears he saw her trying to hold in moistened his face now and he shivered. He swallowed her sob even as his tongue memorized the inside of her mouth, drawing small tremors from her at each caress. He was a man on his last breath it seemed as he gave as much to the kiss as he took._

_She could have died in his arms right there. Cliché? Yes. But it was oh so true. His hand on her neck. His hand in her hair. His hand at her waist. His hand gripping her hip. She relished it all yet mourned the finality of the very act of his talented lips against hers. Her tears found release and her sobs echoed into his demanding, yet generous mouth. She wondered how one man could command such authority over the simple act of kissing. She pressed against him even as he pressed her into him and now, she truly just wanted to die. His tongue danced inside her mouth and she felt her tremors amplified in his body. She didn't want to let go and she could tell he felt the same way. This realization confused her to no end. How could his lips, his hand – in fact – his entire body say one thing when pressed so closely to her yet be contrary to his words?_

_Her knees gave out and it forced him to press her even closer to him. Apparently supporting her and himself at that particular point was more than he could manage for she soon found herself pressed into the hard wall. Air seemed a luxury they could not afford at that particular point. Her earlier words seemed null at this particular point. It seemed she was not the only one doomed to a life without love from another. The kiss had been meant as a goodbye but when she began to use her hands as leverage against her small stature, they both realized the need and the desire embedded in the act. It shouldn't be happening. They should be shaking hands and walking in opposite directions. It seemed like an eternity since his lips had been sealed to hers and now she still felt no need for air. All she needed right now was to feel him pressed against her. She soon found her legs wrapping around his lean waist as he dragged her up against him. He leaned into her and she wished they could be immortalized just like that. A moan escaped her and he greedily absorbed it, his chest rumbling in response._

_It was getting serious fast but each time either made the move to end what had been meant to be a chaste kiss, they both found supple, well kissed lips, following. All thought was consumed in the fire of that tango of lips and tongues._

_And yet, they both knew it could go no further than this kiss. They both knew this was borrowed time for them, hence the ferocity and intensity of the intimate juncture. They mutually separated, breaths hot and heavy against the other's face, eyes staring at the lips that held so much for the other. Her legs tightened noticeably around him and he groaned and buried his face against her neck. He breathed deeply at that sweet juncture and his warm lips pressed against her racing pulse._

END FLASHBACK

_I really am stupid._ He thought as he remembered how her eyes had asked if he was sure and his response was to slowly disentangle himself from her. His hand still burned from the traitorous lingering over her legs, hips, shoulders, neck, face and lips. There was knock at the door and he knew instinctively it was her coming to pick up the rest of her things.

"Hi." She said and smiled once he'd worked up enough courage to answer the door. "I was beginning to think you weren't home."

"Come in." he said choosing not to comment on her statement. He stepped back to let her in then took his seat in the sofa to watch her as he collected stuff from his apartment. A few times, she took up some of his things but he didn't say anything. Every item that went into the box was one more wish that he was the one being collected. He knew this was the last of the visits to collect anything.

After about ten minutes, the only thing she hadn't taken was a picture of herself that he had taken for his photography class.

"Leave it." He said.

"What?"

"That's mine." He said staring at it.

"But-" he shook his head. "Okay." She said. She retracted her hand then he watched as he disappeared into his bedroom. His mind flashed, as it did so often, to the many nights he watched her sleep peacefully in his arms. So innocent. So pure.

She returned with a frame pressed close to her chest. "I'll send you a copy if you want." She said showing him what she'd taken. It was the picture of them sleeping in the very same room that Minako had taken. Her hand was holding his ear in what seemed to be a subconscious caress and his lips pressed to her forehead in the same manner.

What he wanted was to have her pressed to his side in the bed as he watched her sleep but he couldn't say that. Not now.

"I guess that's it then." She said when he merely nodded to her statement. He didn't answer neither did he look at her. Looking at her now would be the absolute wrong thing to do the way he was feeling. "Sayonara, Mamo-chan." He swallowed and nodded without looking at her. She turned to the door then turned back and said.

"Is it too much to ask for a good-bye hug?" she shrugged when she finished the statement. His head snapped up, his eyes raw with emotion. He inhaled then released a breath.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Usako." He said, his voice heavy with tears.

"Please?" she said. She watched as he doubled over in obvious grief, the heels of his hand pressed into his eyes even as they gave way to the tears. She set down the box and walked back to kneel before him. "No more tears, Mamo-chan." She said softly as her hands ran through his hair.

"Don't-" he said around the tears.

"I can't leave you here in tears, Mamo-chan. No matter how much I could cry too." He voice hitched with the tears she held back. "Look at me."

When he didn't comply with her command, she guided his face to hers. "Know this, I'll always love you."

"How can you be so selfless? I'm the baka that's caused all of this. You should be hitting me, throwing things at me. Not comforting me."

"I wish I didn't have to comfort you. I wish I was moving in instead of out but I have to respect your decision even if I don't know the reason." His eyes closed to stem the flow of his tears and she used the opportunity to brush his bangs back and kiss his forehead. She claimed the hug he wouldn't give her then fled the apartment.

Her friends met her outside to help her with the box as well as support her emotionally.

"How are you doing?" Minako asked.

"As best as I could under the circumstances." She looked at Motoki. "I know you came her for me but he needs a friend right now. And unfortunately-" she inhaled. "I-I can't be that for him."

"But-"

"He's in as much pain as me." She said. "I have four girls to help me. He needs you Motoki."

"What he needs is a bat to the head." He muttered as he complied with her request.

It had been a few days since she had come and gone and now he was panicking. No, it wasn't a youma. It seemed the Dark Kingdom was giving them a rest. His usually meticulous apartment was in shambles all the while he was shouting at Motoki

"It has to be here. Kami! It has to be here, Motoki!"

"You've turned this place upside down! Isn't it time you accept the fact that its not here!" he shouted back.

"If it's not here – oh Kami! It has to be here!" and he was off to pulling the apartment into further disarray. He hated to think of where his gut told him it was so he continued to tear up the apartment. His hear thudded hard in his chest and he prayed he had only misplaced it.

She sat in her slumped position on the floor staring at the object on the floor. It had fallen out the pocket of a shirt that belonged to _him_. It winked back at her yet she kept her distance. She feared the implications of the thing. She feared touching it might make it vanish.

"Dammit!" he punched a wall creating a very noticeable crack and dent.

"What are you going to do?" Motoki asked.

"This should not be happening. Dammit!" he said. "Maybe she hasn't found it yet."

"What are the odd of that?" he said with a trace of mockery. "She's a woman who just closed a very large chapter in her life. She's gonna go through the stuff she collected here. If she's not staring at it now, she's on her way here. She might even be on the elevator."

"No, no, no! We're supposed to not see each other again. I'm supposed to board that plane to America to study. She's supposed to be getting her entrance exam results and moving on with her life. The air should be clear!"

"Give it a rest, Mamoru-chan. Even when you guys broke up when you were Endymion and Serenity, you couldn't visit the moon without cornering her."

"I don't want to hear about that. I want to see that I missed somewhere and it's still in this apartment."

"Well, you can continue to deny the cliché effect of this whole scenario or get up and go get it. But in my opinion, there's no way you're coming back with just that."

"Don't say that, Motoki!" As soon as the lat syllable left his anxious lips, he stiffened visibly his eyes fixed on the door. "Oh Kami No." he whispered.

"Well-" Motoki cleared his throat. "I'll get out of your hair and get the door for you in the same breath. Good luck, nii-chan."

"Shit."

She entered slowly after Motoki had answered the door, a second before she knocked. She could feel his eyes on her through the door and now looking at him she held her breath. She stood where she entered and stared at him. The air was heavy as they sized up each other.

He sighed, the only sound breaking the silence. "I guess I don't have to ask why you're here, ne?"

"You don't."

"So you want to know when and why?" he said still looking at here.

"That would be nice." She moved slowly to sit beside him, their eyes never once breaking contact.

"Two days before that last time." He looked away now from her memory filled eyes. "Two days before you came to me."

"I don't understand."

"I don't understand myself either."

"So I guess you want this back then?" she opened her fist, showing him the ring. She had to give him credit for the intricate design – no words could describe it. And she had to hand it to him for finding sapphires that matched her eyes so perfectly.

His eyes came to rest on the ring in her hand but the intensity of his gaze gave her the feeling the ring was a barrier to her palm. "Mamoru-sama?" the formality of the name stunned him to no end. It was only a slight step from just Chiba. He hated it. He wanted her to call him Mamo-chan or Mamo-baka; anything but that awful Mamoru-sama.

"Don't call me that." He breathed out.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't call me that." He grabbed her hand with the ring, the object pressed firmly between them.

"Wha-"

"Usako…dammit! I can't do this to myself. To you."

"What exactly are you doing to me?" she asked her voice steady.

He brought his other hand to cup her cheek and watched as she almost melted into it, her eyes fluttering slightly, struggling to remain open. "I should be beaten to a bloody pulp for all the hurt I've caused you."

"Mam-"

"No, let me finish. I wanted you to have this ring. I need you to have this ring. I wanted to fight and convince you that you needed me as much I needed you."

"So why-"

"My stupid conscience. How could I deserve you? I broke your hear more times than I should have. And there you were, offering _me_ a chance to start over." He pulled her closer yet still not touching anywhere but her hand with the ring and her cheek.

"But-"

"I love you so much it hurts when I can't see you, feel you – Kami." He whispered reverently. "When I could feel you severing me from you, I died with each breath. I am so sorry for all the stupid things I did to you. I am so sorry for-" her free hand came to lay three of her fingers against his lips.

"No more." She said. They made such a pretty picture connected by mere hands, locked in a heated gaze. He wanted to say more but the feel of her fingers against his neglected lips caused too much of a current of feeling, rendering him unable to form words. She looked at him boring into his soul it seemed while he prepared for the worse.

She allowed her hand to move to cup his jaw as her thumb ghosted over his lips. "Mamoru?" His eyes showed he was paying attention so she averted her gaze to watch her thumb. "I need you to kiss me righ-" She came to an abrupt halt when his face closed in on her and his lips touched her in an exploratory caress.

"Are you sure you want me?" he asked even though creating even a inch between their lips was painful.

"No." The simple word caused his heart to collapse and his insides to twist up into an infinite knot. He moved back to give her space, or he would've if she hadn't leaned forward and bitten down on his bottom lip. "I don't want you." She said after nursing the bite with her tongue. "I need you." At the last word she leaned over forcing him down on the chair with her weight and kissed him for all her worth.

Lips danced in joys against each other. Hands reclaimed territory. Hearts beat in unison.

"So does that mean I get to keep this ring?" She said between kisses. He pulled away sharply to look at her if she had lost her marbles.

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Well, it would be very presumptuous of me to assume just because I'm kissing you that I get to keep this ring. You are after all planning to leave for America to study."

"Do you honestly think I'm leaving to study for four years on another continent and leave you here so some joke can take you from me?"

She giggled. Something she hadn't done in a long time. "I don't mind you going to study you know."

"If I can't stuff you in my suitcase, I'm not going anywhere."

"But-"

"No. I can always go when I've gotten you down the aisle."

"So I do get to keep it." She said cheekily. "Then I guess you have a few boxes to pick up at my house."

"That will have to wait. I'm not done making up for all those time I was the baka you always told me I was."

She giggled again. "That will have to wait too." She started to get up but he held her firm to him. "What-" he leaned up to whisper something in her ear and whatever it was had her blushing bright red and her lip caught between her teeth. The more he whispered the redder she got and the more she realized she should not be lying stretched out on a man twice her size and strength while he outlined just what he wanted to do to her right then and there. His licking the outside of her ear caused her to squeal and spring up.

"Mamoru no baka! You pervert!" she ran towards the door but found her face flush against the door and his body pressing hers into the same. He licked behind her ear and started to whisper again and this intimate contact and his spicy scent enveloping her had her knees buckling under the onslaught. She rubbed her thighs together in frustration at his teasing yet she knew, given the opportunity, these words wouldn't be teasing but reality. He finished off this string of very naughty words with nibbling on her ear lobe, his breath hot against her cheek and ear. The position she found herself in reminded her that hunky boyfriend was not as young as her. "Mamo-chan." She whined when his lips found the back of her neck and his hands circled her waist. He spun her around to face him claiming her lips in a telling kiss

"It's gonna take while for us to be completely sure of each other, Usako, but you can trust me to completely frustrate the hell out of you on _all _sides." His thigh slid between her tightly pressed thighs and he reiterated his statement. "_All_ sides."

"You are so evil." She said to him with a mock glare. He kissed her again sweetly.

"See you later, Odango." She really glared at him now. He still had her pressed against the door. "Oh, I almost forgot." He extracted the ring from her fisted hand and slid it over her ring finger. "I love you. All of you." He said referring to her many sides. Then said again. "_All_ of you." Causing her to blush because this had nothing to with her alter-ego or past self.

"Bye." She said in a meek voice and quickly exited the apartment with a heated but smiling face.


	4. Chapter 4

I am the Other: Chapter 4

(Finale)

"Motoki?" Usagi said.

"What's up?" he said placing a chocolate shake in front of her.

"You remember being on the moon, ne?"

"Yes. I assume its still bits and pieces for you." He stated.

"Yeah." She said then took a sip of the shake. "I wanna know what Endymion was like."

He took up a glass and began to clean it. "Anything specific?"

"Was he a flirt? Was he perverted? Was he a playboy? Was he sweet and quiet?"

"Hmm, let's see." He took up another glass to clean as he thought. "He was very quiet growing up but a fan club in his honour here was more than enough to loosen him up. When he realized he wasn't the awkward son of a handsome king and beautiful queen, he really took it to heart. The girls flocked him and he was happy to oblige."

"Much like he is now?"

"Yep. After his first visit to the moon, he completely changed. He spent the nights staring at the moon and the days hiding from the fan club, much to their disappointment."

"Was the age difference the same then as it is now?"

"Yes. He visited when he was fifteen, so that would make you ten."

"Really? I remember being ten – in this time – and I wasn't very pretty."

Motoki laughed. "I can say that after the first week of his constant sighing, we snuck back to take another peek at you. I realized that he hadn't been introduced to you formally because you were on your way out with your friends. He only saw you in passing. When he was spying on you, I saw nothing special about you."

"Motoki!" she whined.

"Hey! You wanted the truth. I thought you were a skinny girl with too long hair and too big, too blue eyes. He beat me up for my observations." He laughed at the memory.

"Serves you right. Picking on a girl five years your junior."

"Anyway," he continued after he got over laughing. "We never saw you again for three years and I don't know what happened in those three years, but all of a sudden, your hair was perfect, your eyes, perfect and your figure was to die for."

"By the way you're talking, it sounds like you had a crush on me."

"That I did. Endymion and my former self had a bit of an argument and an ongoing competition."

"You guys fought over me?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. The entire time we were there, we were supposed to be securing a treaty, we however, spent the time trying to win your favour."

"Do tell." She said intrigued.

"I was winning for the first few days. You took a liking to me instantly, while you never gave him the time of day. It bruised his ego to no end."

"Hmmm. Sounds like something I'd do."

"I was so happy that for once, the prince was playing the third wheel."

"So what changed?"

"Well, I don't really know, but soon, he was having all this private time with you and I was left to compete for the affections of Princess Aphrodite."

"Who?"

"Minako."

"You and Minako?"

"Kunzite was a worthy opponent."

"Kunzite? You mean Beryl's general Kunzite?"

"He wasn't always bad. He was chief of security to the prince just as Minako was yours."

"Interesting."

"Anyway, when I was not locked in battle with Kunzite, I was spying on you and Endymion. He always seemed to have you backed up against the wall, away from _other_ prying eyes. I don't know what he was telling you but you had the cutest blush on your face." Usagi's face flushed as if on cue. "Exactly like that."

"Motoki!" she whined again.

"A few times, while I was talking to you, I would look away and you would be gone. After a few times of this happening, I realized he had been snatching you so that you two could enjoy make out sessions."

"I was thirteen. Wasn't I a bit young to be making out with a prince five years my senior?"

"In those days, you could've been married to him, if you wanted. Of course, your relationship was a secret. The earth and moon were still negotiating a treaty."

"Wouldn't a marriage take care of that easily?"

"Your mother, Queen Serenity did not want to use you as a bargaining chip. They all hoped you tow would decide on your own but it was not a necessity. It would've been a bonus."

"Back to Endymion."

"Yes. Quiet as a child, a playboy later then obviously, he took great pleasure in seducing you in dark corners. At public functions, he was your escort. A few times, it was obvious you were at odds. Other times, it seemed you two couldn't wait to slink off to some corner. At the dinner tables, he spent a great deal of time playing with your hair and from what I could assume, other parts of your body."

"He touched me, in public? Like that?"

"I don't think your parents realized but your friends and his friends realized. I think you returned the favour now and then. It amused me to see him completely surprised by your actions. I think he rubbed off on you a little."

"After that, you two were inseparable. He spent most of his time on the moon, often dragging me along. Not that I minded checking up on Minako. She is quite the charmer, you know. As Aphrodite, she had no problem stringing us weaker men along. I am quite pleased, Kunzite is no longer a problem for me now."

"You're going after Mina?"

"Oh no. I have gone and have come back a winner. This version of Aphrodite is surprisingly demure. It pleases me."

"So, did Endymion and I get married?"

"Unfortunately, no. When you turned fifteen, you two became public and arrangements for the ceremony were started but a noble of earth objected. He presented a document stating the prince was already betrothed to be married."

"To whom?"

"Princess Beryl."

"No." she said shocked. "Seriously?"

"She was a very beautiful and sweet girl. She adored Endymion and competed with you for his attention. She often got it."

"That fiend."

"That's where I came in to make him jealous. It worked. Often, I got a general to distract Beryl. That also worked."

"You're too good a friend to him."

"Yes. Yes. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop Beryl from going to the dark side and eventually becoming a vessel for the enemy. She walked in on you two – you know – don't make me say it."

"You mean – before we were married?"

"I guess the fact that the wedding was the next day was not soon enough for you two."

"How embarrassing." She said burying her face in her hands.

"And yet here you are talking to my best friend about it." Mamoru said surprising the two.

"Mamoru!" she said jumping up. "How long have you been there?"

"I've been sitting here for a while. I guess both of you were two engrossed in the dealings of my former self to realize my presence." He smirked.

"Or you wanted to hear what we were talking about."

"Either way, I was left out of a conversation about myself. I have to wonder what else you two talk about when I'm not here."

"Oh, that's easy. I complain about how you just don't do it for me anymore and I need to experience the goods out here. I was hoping to get Motoki to provide a free sample."

"Ha ha. Very funny." He said.

"Oh, I'm not joking." Usagi said managing a straight face. "I only wanted to know how much you were like Endymion to see if I could sneak around you."

"Motoki?"

"Hey, I'm the victim here." He said.

"Usako?"

"Don't worry, Mamoru, you're still my favorite tongue partner." Mamoru blushed had the grace to blush.

"Maybe I've been too much of an influence on you, Usako."

"What I just said isn't half as bad as what you said to me yesterday in your apartment."

"I'm a tad bit older than you. I can say certain things."

"So you're saying, because I'm still a bit young, I can't say the things that you say. But it's quite alright for you to say them to me?" she smiled. "That hardly seems fair. Maybe, I should get Motoki to say of that to me."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Or better yet, I'll say it to him." She leaned over the counter as a smiling Motoki moved to meet her. She was about to say something to his waiting ear when she found her mouth covered by a very warm hand and her waist trapped by another warm and obviously strong hand. Same hand pulled her back against a chiseled chest and abdomen.

"We'll see you later, Motoki. Tell Minako hello for us."

To passers-by, it seemed that he – Mamoru – was kidnapping a very young girl. Granted she was laughing and teasing him, he was very embarrassed.

"She got into her parents wine cabinet. I'm here to get her home safe." That got him smiles and nods all around as he placed her inside the car and buckled her in. "You cause me a lot of trouble you know that?"

"Wouldn't this be very boring if I didn't. I caused you trouble before we knew each other." The folded her arms and mocked pouted.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I'd be strung up by my toes, I'd kiss that very pretty bottom lip of yours and make it very hard for you to walk without blushing."

"Really? What could you possibly do that would make me do that?" she asked disbelieving him.

"I would-" he leaned into her and whispered words that had her blushing to her very toes. "And you'd still be a virgin." He finished.

"I'm not sure I know you. I'm not sure I even want to marry you anymore." She said.

"Oh you'll marry me, Serenity." He said and she could see his former self calling out to her former self yet still maintaining their present selves.

"I really wonder how you got me to like you instead of Motoki."

"You'll remember soon enough." He said. "One day, it'll just click."

"Mamoru, what did you do?"

"If you don't remember by the time we're married, I'll tell you." He walked to his side of the car and after securing himself drove home while she sang along with the radio.

"I still don't remember what you did. I'm seriously considering annulling this whole thing and going to find Motoki." She said while removing her diamond earrings followed by her tiara of the same.

"I'd enjoy watching you try to leave this room." H chuckled while removing his shoes and socks.

"I'm more powerful than you will ever be. I could stun you before you even know what hit you." She bragged.

"True, but I still have something against you. A sure fire way to get you to stay right here. The same way I did it when I first laid eyes on you as Endymion and as myself now."

"I'm dying of curiosity. How did you manage to steal me away? I know I'm not easy."

"You were a challenge and still are."

"What did you do?" she whined as he removed her shoes and came to sit with him on the bed.

"First I had to get you away from Motoki and his boyish charms. Since you were such a small girl, I had no problem snatching you and carrying you to where I wanted."

"Which was?"

"Your room."

"My room?"

"Your room. Nobody would bother the princess once she was in her room unless summoned."

"Of course you cursed me with all sorts of diseases."

"I guess it didn't work."

"See, I was banking on the fact that you were secretly fighting your attraction to me."

"And was I?"

"A little. So I was decided to be myself. All along, I had been trying to act like someone you would notice so I decided to be myself. Here I was eighteen, you thirteen and I was baffled as to how to win your affection so basically I jumped you."

"You jumped me."

"Yes. It seemed little Serenity was tired of everybody being so careful around her. You wanted someone to step on your toes and give you something you'd been craving. Adventure."

"You jumped me?" she said.

"I walked up to you, pinned you to the bed and whispered in your ears everything I thought of you from the first day I saw you and what I wanted to do to you. You slapped me of course."

"Damn right."

"Then I kissed you."

"You said I was the best kisser since your last boyfriend, Prince Demando."

"Me and Demando?"

"Apparently, you were quite the wild child. An angel yes but very adventurous."

"So I chose you because you gave me…adventure?"

"That and you couldn't you get enough of my kisses and _sweet_ words."

"You cheated." She slapped him playfully. "Motoki was being all nice and gentlemanly and you seduced me."

"You can only be seduced if you were inclined to it. But I cannot take credit for the seduction. It was all you."

"Me?" she looked at him like he was crazy.

"As you told me," he said as he began to take off her wedding dress. "The very first day you saw me – the first day I arrived on the moon – I had been your target." He had her standing before him in a very sexy chemise that left everything and nothing to the imagination. His hands moved slowly over her arms as she leaned into him. "I was the prize of the five inner planets. As the Moon Princess, you had first shot. I was fair game. I had no chance going in." He kissed her shoulder, her neck, her ear. "Motoki was a pawn that was easily and skillfully traded off to Minako who also needed a pawn to make her intended jealous."

"Poor Motoki." She sighed as his lips brushed over hers.

"Oh no no no. He was right in his element. He relished being the object of jealously." He kissed her cheeks and the corner of her mouth and his hands caressed her back. Said hands moved up to tackle her meticulous _meatballs._ "But, Aphrodite was more than a match for him. He lost his heart in the game." He freed her hair and now ran his nimble fingers through them. The moaned in content. "But enough about them. I want to make good on some of my promises."

"What promises?"

"_All_ my promises." He claimed her lips slowly while seducing her with his deep blue eyes that held such naughty promises.

"Ecchi!" she exclaimed once she had use of her lips. It came out slurred as his attention drugged her.

"And yours for a very long time." He stretched her out beneath him all the while the only contacts between them were their occupied lips and hands.

Like so many times before, his lips coaxed her playful, sensual side out of her. She couldn't help the delicious sounds that his willing mouth drew and swallowed from her. She couldn't help that her hands just wanted to live in his silky black mane. She also couldn't help said hands from copping a feel of his ass that looked so damn good in jeans.

"Naughty." He said nipping her bottom lip then soothing it with his tongue.

"I learned from the best." She moaned into his neck when his lips found her neck and began to lavish it with attention. "I swear, if you leave a mark-"

"Don't worry," he said soothing the area. "I won't leave it where anybody else can see." He allowed her to remove – no – tear his shirt off sending buttons flying. Her hands seemed to memorize his chest and abs while her lips sought to do the same. A quick tug of her silken locks showed her where he wanted her lips to be – pressed firmly against his.

"I love you, Usagi." He said after brushing his lips over hers.

"I hope you aren't trying to tell me that's it." She pouted. He was unmoving above her, positioned to enter her after a wondrous eternity of foreplay.

"You're such a tease." He said when she surreptitiously scooted down so that his tip was pressing even more against her. He kissed her lips and began a rhythm designed to bring the skin to burning, to make the senses obsolete, to shatter the nerves until all that was perceived was that deep movement – in, out, in out. His kissed seared into her soul, his touches scorched her and yet still she begged for more of him.

"More." She said when she felt him holding back.

"Greedy much?" he ground out as the pressure intensified between them.

"I will have all of you." She managed through her heavy pants. She dug her fingers into his hard, muscled back and rose to meet him thrust for thrust. Her legs left their former position to wrap around the hips she loved so much forcing him deeper and tearing a groan from him.

"You'll be the death of me, Odango." He teased even though it was all he could do to form a thought. She growled – as best she could – and dug her teeth into his shoulder drawing a hiss from him. Their movements intensified as they climbed, stretched and reached for the sweet oblivion. He claimed her lips in a bone melting kiss while one hand sought out that secret spot nestled in her short curls. The other secured her lips to him while finding solace in her golden crown. She moaned into his mouth, the only way she could express her pleasure and need for release. She anchored herself to him, her sweat drenched skin slapping against his own in a sexy, primal sound. She tore her mouth away from him as she clenched around him, drawing from him his own release. The sensation rolled over her as he thrust a few more times into her clenching temple.

She sighed in complete content as they rested against each other, exhaustion filling them.

"Wow." She breathed. "You're pretty good."

"Pretty good?" He looked at her. "Obviously I haven't done my best yet." He rolled over to start the whole process again. "You'll be singing a different song after tonight, Chiba Usagi."

"If you do it like that again, I don't think I'll be doing much of anything, much less sing." She smiled and traced his jaw with her index before sinking it into his mouth. "By the way, before I lose my ability to speak, I love you too." She kissed him sweetly then hungrily and the whole thing started again.

_**In love with me, **_

_**But never me.**_

_**Seeing me**_

_**Yet never seeing.**_

_**Holding, touching, kissing – always me.**_

_**Yet thinking of another – still loving me.**_

_**I loved you but you loved another.**_

_**It's hard when there is another in your heart**_

_**It's so much harder when the other woman…**_

_**Is me. I am the other.**_


End file.
